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Martha Fair
Mattie Fair, née Mattie Montague, was a student at Shimer College in the Seminary period, attending at some point in the mid to late 1860s. Mentioned *in Biographical History of Central Kansas, 1902, p. 1580: *:In 1866 Mr. Fair went to Bates county, Missouri, with the intention of making that his home, but becoming dissatisfied at the end of a year he returned to Illinois, where he was variously employed for two or three years. He was married on Thursday, November 3, 1870. to Miss Mattie E. Montague, who was born August 3, 1848, and was the youngest daughter of Luman and Elvira (Clark) Montague. She was educated at Mount Carroll Seminary at Mount Carroll. Illinois. The Montague family is a widely extended one in America, with a genealogical tree running back to the time of the Norman conquest of England. About one thousand years ago the Montague family flourished in northern France, as 15 evidenced by the castles, mountains, fortresses and towns bearing that name. History records the name of one of the family, Drogo De Montagu (Lat. de Monteacuto and Montacute) born about 1040, who became the trusted companion, follower and intimate friend of Robert, early of Morton, the favorite brother of William, Duke of Normandy, and in whose retinue he acompanied the expedition of sixty thousand men and three hundred ships to England in 1066, thus making the advent of the first Montague upon the shores of England. \/Villiam, having conquered the country, rewarded his followers with large grants of land and Drogo received large possessions. The history and genealogy of the Montague family in America. descendants of Richard Montague of Hadley (now Hatfield), Massachusetts, and Peter Montague, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, was compiled in 1886. Mrs. Fair's father, Luman Montague, of the seventh generation from Richard, was one of the six pioneers of northern Illinois who settled in Stephenson county. He was a man of sterling worth and noble character, widely known and prominent in the early history of northern Illinois,-—a man of indomitable energy, courage and strong in his convictions, but with a kindly heart and generous qualities that made him greatly loved and respected wherever known, and his death closed a well spent and useful life. His funeral was largely attended, and as “Uncle Luman" had been a great lover of flowers it was but fitting that he should be laid to rest among them. The floral tribute consisted of two hundred bouquets of flowers dropped into the open grave by his friends as they passed by, a beautiful token of love and esteem. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Fair were born three children. but two died in infancy. N. M. Fair, their only living child, born in 1874. was graduated in the University of Chicago in 1899, and is now cashier of the Mankato State Bank, of which his father is president. *:The Wednesday following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Fair removed to a onehundred-acre farm near Lena, Illinois, which he had purchased and paid for with money previously earned by hard work. There they lived very happily for five years and then removed to a much larger farm west of Lena, where they made their home until the spring of 1880, when they sold the place and all personal property and moved to Gladbrook, Tama county, Iowa. Profiled *on FindaGrave